Day 27 of the Legacy Notebook Series
Today’s topic for your legacy notebook is merely a suggestion. It isn’t something that is legally required or part of a typical estate plan but it could be really meaningful for the people you love the most. I first heard of this concept several years ago and loved the idea, but it has remained simply an idea in my world – with no action taken on my part…yet.
I’m suggesting that you write letters to the people you hold dearest and remind them of their significance in your life.
For the adults you write letters to:
Share with them the fondest memories of your shenanigans together, lessons they taught you, the thing they did that makes you laugh out loud every time it pops in your head, times when their love and support was especially meaningful, or a simple thanks for having your back. These notes and letters could either stay in your notebook to be given to the recipients after you’re gone or dropped in the mail this week. I vote for getting them in the mail, but do what’s right for you and your situation.
For the kids you write letters to:
These could be letters to your own kids, to nieces and nephews or to grandkids.
The idea I heard about initially and the approach I am going to use is to write a letter to each of our kids annually until they are 18. Some people choose to do this on birthdays and I will certainly need some kind of reminder to make it happen each year. I am not a scrapbooker and am currently four years behind in my photo book projects (projects that only exist in my imagination right now) so I love the idea of having a collection of letters for my kids that capture special moments, funny things they say, phases they go through, and so on. I plan to keep the letters in our legacy notebook until the kids graduate high school and share the letters with them at that point. If my time is up before then, the letters will be there and can be shared with them when the time is right.
Here are some links from around the web for inspiration and/or writing prompts:
The Letter Every Parent Should Write (Brian Klems)
Lots of writing prompts to get you started
Ideas on notes to write to your kids
Happy letter writing! See you tomorrow.
thanks for reading,
Lesley
P.S. Looking for the rest of the series? You can find it here.
Stronger Wallet’s Legacy Notebook series information is intentionally general in nature and covers typical scenarios. You may have special circumstances that need to be considered. Always consult a trusted advisor before making big decisions about your financial legacy. Feel free to send me questions along the way at lesley[at]strongerwallet.com.
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The guide includes everything you need to get started: a cover sheet and divider pages to set up your notebook, an overview of each topic, checklists, worksheets, and writing prompts to guide you through the process.
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